Beech A23A accident near Rawlins, Wyoming, March 13, 2000
On March 13, 2000 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Beech A23A, registered N2337W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rawlins, Wyoming (Rawlins Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to abort the landing in a timely manner. Factors were the tailwind and high density altitude, resulting in inadequate climb performance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 2000 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Rawlins, Wyoming · Rawlins Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A23A · all A23As on the register
- Registration
- N2337W · no longer on the register · serial M-934
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the pilot approached Rawlins, Wyoming, he tried contacting the airport on UNICOM several times but without success. He circled the airport several times looking for the wind sock but did not see one. He then decided to land on 'the upslope runway [10].' Halfway down the runway, the pilot applied brakes and then realized the airplane could not be stopped before reaching the end of the runway. He aborted the landing. During the climbout, the airplane struck a fence 100 feet beyond the departure end of the runway. It then struck the ground and slid another 100 feet. Winds recorded at Rawlins at 1250, 10 minutes after the accident, were from 250 degrees at 25 knots. Landing on runway 10 presented a 30 degree right quartering tailwind with a component approximately 23 knots. Density altitude was computed to be 7,157 feet msl, and the maximum expected rate of climb was computed to be 345 feet per minute.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,285 hours in all; 558 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 1,285 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 24, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-346-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GJT Grand Junction CO at 5:00 pm
- Destination: RWL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 4,320 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 25 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from RWL, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.